Big Brother's Care
by Jody14
Summary: Kankuro tries to tease his little brother and pays dearly. Gaara feels guilty for things that he's done, but their father isn't ready to forgive him that easily. KankuroxGaara brothership/friendship.


**A/N:** Yosh!!! (Don't ask) There goes another cute/adorable/sweet fanfic-oneshot for Gaara & Kankuro brothership ˆˆ who wouldn't love those two, they're both so cute… And I made our little Gaara-chan a little more… hmmm… vulnerable. It's no fun if he can't get hurt, you know? Me likey hurting those I really likey in the fanfics. OK, enough with my big mouth, let's get on to the point.

So… let the story… BEGIN!

**Big Brother's Care**

»Hey, Gaara-chan! You know, you look like a little panda with these black rings around your eyes, don't you?«

Five years old Gaara curled into a ball in the corner of the room and squeezed his teddy-bear harder while staring to his big brother's smiling face.

»Little Gaara panda-chan, little Gaara panda-chan, little Gaara panda-chan!«

Kankuro tried to give his little brother a friendly teasing, still smiling. Gaara shivered and hugged his teddy-bear even tighter if that was possible, and kept staring at his big brother. Why Kankuro liked to tease him so much? Didn't he love him? Does he, just like everone else, enjoy at hurting him and making even more wounds at his heart than there already are?

Gaara hugged his knees and turned his head away from Kankuro.

»Huh?«

Kankuro stopped chuckling.

»Hey, Gaara-chan…«

He slowly reached his hands to his little brother. Hej ust wanted to hug him and hold him tight in his arms. He just wanted to friendly ruffle his hair and let him know it was all just a brotherly joke, that he loves him and wouldn't trade him for any treasure on the whole world when it happened.

Gaara squealed. Temari ran out of her room to see what's going on. A small ball of sand formed between Kankuro and Gaara.

_»Don't touch me!«_

Even their father, the Kazekage came out of the living room to see what's going on at this point of comotion, but before him or Temari could act, little and ball expanded and exploded. It pushed Kankuro far away from Gaara and send him flying. His body crashed to the mirror at the opposite side of the room. The glass broke to the million of little pieces Kankuro wrapped his left arm around his body and sobbed. At first he didn't realize the pain. He was still in shock, but after he moved his hand from his right hip he flinched in pain. One of the broken pieces of the mirror cut through his body and he curled into a ball. It hurt so much, dammit! His vision soon became clear again and he just sat with his back towards the wall and stared into his hand. It was covered with his own blood and blood drops dripped of his fingers to the floor.

»Kankuro! Kankuro, are you okay?«

Temari ran off to her little brother and helped him to stand up. Kankuro merely nodded, without realizing what's going on around him. There were just two things that existed at this second. Him, in front of the broken mirror and Gaara with his little teddy-bear at the opposite wall. This time when Kankuro looked at his brother's eyes it seemed as his eyes were filled… not with hatred. With fear. Fear from the world… and fear from himself.

Gaara squeezed his teddy-bear even tighter to his body and broke down. He was silently sobbing and shaking, while tears were falling from his black-ringed eyes and his blue-green eyes stared deep into Kankuro's brown.

»You little monster!«

Kankuro finally realized that there was someone else beside him, Gaara and Temari in the room. Their father. Things weren't looking so well for Gaara…

»You little monster! Never again… in repeat _never again_ dare to hurt Temari or Kankuro. You got that?«

Gaara hugged his tedy-bear tighter, so it's eyes almost popped out. Hej ust stood there, still shaking. He didn't have the strenght or nerve to deal with these people… not anymore…

»I asked if _you got that_!_«_

Kankuro gasped as his father lifted his hand. Temari covered her eyes. First slap fell. Sand lifted off the ground to protect confused and scared child, yet it didn't harden fast enough. His father's hand broke through and left a bruise on Gaara's cheek. And again. And again.

Kankuro clenched his teeth. It wasn't Gaara-san's fault. _He_ was the one, who pushed it over the limit, it was _his_ fault, not Gaara's. It's true, Gaara didn't have to take everything so serious, but still…

»_Stop it, right now!_«

Kankuro wrapped his hand around his body again, tying to stop the bleeding. He could still feel blood slipping through his fingers.

»Please… leave him alone…«

Silence fell upon the room. Father Kazekage stood up, turned away from his younger son without giving him even one look and walked over to his elder son.

»Show me the wound, Kankuro.«

Kankuro obediently took off his black shirt. Even he just stared at the wound on his body. It was so deep,it seemed he only felt half of pain because of the shock.

»A part of glass is still inside it. We'll have to get you to the hospital.«

If looks could kill, Gaara would be already lying dead on the floor. Even Kankuro shivered. Father never aimed such a glare to the other person, even if he really hated and despited him. But in anyway he quickly grabbed the chance and send his little brother a friendly smile from behind his father's back.

Gaara just stared into his smile. It couldn't possibly be ment to him, could it?

Their father left to the living room to send Suna's medical ninja a letter. Temari left to find first aid kit. Kankuro waited until they both left and crawled to Gaara. His little brother sobbed again and burried his face into his teddy-bear. Kankuro quietly sighed. He felt sorry for Gaara.

He still hesitated a little. He didn't forget what happened the last time he tried to do that. Finaly he gathered courage and wrapped his arms around his little brother and gave him a protective hug. Gaara just stared in surprise, then he gave a confused look to Kankuro.

»I love you, Gaara-chan… I won't let him… I won't let anyone hurt you ever again. That's a promise.«

Gaara silently sobbed again. Kankuro stroked his hair and brotherly smooched him on his cheek. His little brother squeezed tighter to him and Kankuro could feel him still shivering andhis heart beating twice as fast as his own. He kept hugging and stroking him until his little brother's heartbeat calmed down a bit.

--

»The wound is pretty deep, but he's in luck. Glass didn't hurt his internal organs, so he should be fine as long as we get the glass out of his body, clean the wound and sew it up. He'll have to stay at the hospital overnight.«

One of the medical ninja talked to the Kazekage after examining Kankuro's wound.

»If you let him with us over the night, he should be alright.«

»Good.«

Kazekage nodded. Gaara lifted his eyes to his father's trying to give him his sincere apology without using a word, yet his father didn't even look at him. Gaara looked to the ground. He lifted his head again and teary-eyed watched medical ninja lift Kankuro into his lap and carry his big brother away. Kankuro merely smiled over man's shoulder. Temari stood nexto to Gaara and sadly watched her first aid kit. She expected it to help, but it didn't. She moved her hand to her brother's and wrapped it around Gaara's wrist.

»Gaara, we need to talk. And you go to bed, Temari. Alright?«

Temari silently nodded and squeezed Gaara's hand for the last time, before she left. From behind the corner she silently watched Gaara follow their dad to the living room. She ran to her bed, buried her face into the pillow, covered herself over her head, pleaded for both of her little brothers and tried not to listen to Gaara's cries, screams of pain and pleadings.

--

Next day around the ten'o'clock p.m. medical ninja came back. To Temari and Gaara's joy one of them carried sleeping Kankuro in his lap.

»Operation complicated a bit, so it took us longer than thought, but he's alright now. He just needs to rest.

Gaara listened to the medical ninja talking to his dad. He reached his arm and pushed up his sleeve. Both of his arms were covered with bruises, yet he didn't really complain. He deserved it. He didn't take it as his father's punishment. It was _God's_ punishment for hurting his own brother. Hurting someone who cared about him dearly, someone that always cared. He lifted his head and watched his big brother sleep.

»Onii-chan?«

Silence. Kankuro was fast asleep. Gaara climbed to his brother's bed and crawled under his blankets to reach his big brother. He gently laid his little hand to Kankuro's cheek. His body was cold. Gaara sighed and curled into ball next to his brother. Only minute or two passed and Kankuro silently smiled.

»Warm… so very warm…«

Gaara lifted his eyes to look at his brother's smiling face. He reached with his hands and wrapped them around his brother's neck. Kankuro moved his right arm and hugged his little brother protectively.

Gaara silently yawned.

He'll just act as Kankuro's plushie for the night…

»Gaa-chan… is it you?«

»Mmmhmm…«

»I love you, Gaa-chan.«

»I love you too, nii-chan.«

Gaara squeezed tighter to his brother. Kankuro gave him a gentle smooch to his forehead, Gaara yawned again and closed his eyes. He can finaly squeeze in a little time to sleep himself. But just a little. What was he thinking, he can't sleep. He'll just close his eyes and rest for an hour, maybe hour and a half.

Gaara buried his face into his brother's piyamas and closed his eyes.

--

Kankuro frowned when first sunrays fell to his eyelids. He rubbed his eyes, streched out and yawned. He rolled over to his stomach and laid his elbows to his pillow. He turned his head to Gaara. His little brother was restlesly turning in his sleep. Probably there were nightmares bothering him, or Shukaku interrupting his sleep again. Kankuro gently laid his hand on his brother's shoulder and shook him. Gaara's eyes snapped open and he jumped up in bed.

»Our little insomniac fell asleep, didn't he?«

Kankuro chuckled and ruffled his brother's hair cheerfully. Gaara blinked a few times, then he streched out, yawned and muttered that he had been really asleep just for half of an hour. Kankuro wasn't really listening. He saw Gaara's sleeves fall off his wrists while he streched out. He couldn't miss blue marks on his arms. Kankuro grabbed his brother's wrist and pushed his sleeve higher to his elbow. At the sight he hatefully gritted his teeth. Gaara's arms were covered with bruises.

»Gaara, what is this?«

»N… nothing… I … I just …fell down the stairs, that's all…«

Kankuro narrowed his eyes.

»We both know that it's not true, don't we, Gaara. He beat you up, didn't he? That night when I was at the hospital… he beat you up.«

Gaara turned his head away. How come Kankuro so easily read him?

Kankuro stood up and pulled on his black shirt and cat-like hat.

»I'm sick of it. This time he's paying. I asked him nicely, but if he couldn't understand it he has to understand it by force.«

»Kankuro… Kankuro please…« Gaara bounced to his feet and clinged to his big brother. »Please, don't do this… then everything… everything will be even worse… he'll… he'll beat me up again… he'll think I told you…«

»Gaara!«

Kankuro kneeled down to his brother's eye level.

»Look at yourself! Your arms are black and blue! You can't let him do this and then just get away!«

»But… he's right! I've hurt you badly, I'm not a good brother to you and I deserved it anyway…«

»He said _what?_«

Gaara closed his mouth.

»Did he say it's your fault _again_? Did he… did he call you an unstable monster again… _well, did he?_«

Gaara didn't respond.

»What did he say to you, Gaara?«

Kankuro's voice became calm but colder than the coldest winter. And Gaara knew what it meant. He's going to avenge him, nothing can stop him now.

»Please, Kankuro… don't…«

His big brother stood up. He didn't answer him, just made an one hundred eighty degree turn on his heels and left the room. He slammed the door behind him, forcefully enogh that the light on his ceiling swung and a picture fell of his drawer. It clinked when it crashed with it's metal frame to the ground and glass shattered. Gaara silently picked it up . From behind the glass there were two children smiling at him. He easily recognized Temari's four bright brown hair mops and Kankuro's cat-like hat. But there was another child, two years old. Kankuro was holding him in his lap. Gaara couldn't guess wrong even if he wanted to. Little boy had crimson hair and black marks around his eyes. He was smiling with trust and watching his brother smiling. Gaara sobbed and pressed the photo tight to his chest.

--

»You know it, Kankuro. He has a demon sealed inside him and his emotional state is… well, unstable!«

»Oh really? Man, I should know better not to touch him or even get close to him! Dad, I don't give a damn, even if there's the spirit of almighty Paris Hilton hanging out inside his body or whatever! You _can't _ call him a monster and you_ can't _cut him away from us and beat him up. _You can't treat him different than you treat me or Temari_.«

»How many times do I have to slap you over your stubborn head to make it stay inside, Kankuro… Gaara is different!«

»Yeah, he is! He is different. _You_ made him that way. He has no friends… he has no family… and _don't_ look at me that way. Even if me, Temari and you are all still alive, Gaara _does not _ approve us as his family. He's afraid of us. Home is a place a kid is supposed to run off to when he needs support and safety, to mother and father's arms, not a house of horror. This is exactly how Gaara feels about home. When will you finally see that and stop hurting him? Can't you see you're… destroying him?«

Silence. Father Kazekage was completely astonished by Kankuro's words of wisdom. It was just something he didn't expect from Kankuro.

»You should think about it, dad… This has to stop, we both know that. And before you take it out on Gaara again, he isn't the one who told me you beat him up while I was in hospital. _I _noticed it _myself_. You should know before you dare to touch him again… if you dare raise your hand at him again, I will protect him, even if it costs me my life. Because… it doesn't matter what's inside Gaara. He still is my little brother.«

Kankuro left the room and almost tripped over something. Or someone. Gaara was sitting outside the room, hugging his knees.

»Hey…«

Kankuro slowly kneeled down to his little brother.

»It's okay. It's over, I promise.«

Gaara slowly reached with his hands and wrapped them around Kankuro's neck. His brother lifted him in his lap, gave him a smooch on his forehead and silently whispered.

»I love you, little Gaara panda-chan. You know that, don't you?«

This time, Gaara merely laughed in response.

--

**A/N:** Yosh!!! (aaah there is Rock-Lee inside my head, get him out, get him out! 'runs around') Alrighty, done here… phew! It took me some time. Hope you KankuroxGaara brothership/friendship (or maybe something more, but I don't write Sandcest) fans like it.


End file.
